Dying Daily #271: Destroy What Destroys You

If you were to make a time log that documented your life in 15 minute increments, what would be on there the most?

People always have their go to answers when I ask them this question:

Family

God

Work

Chores

Reading

Driving

We all like to think that our times goes to good and necessary things, but when we actually pay attention we get a much different story.

People are often shocked to learn just how much time they spend on Netflix, sports (on television), looking at porn, and scrolling aimlessly through their phone. This last one is often particularly shocking for them (install Moment for iPhone or Quality Time for Android and see for yourself). We lose hours everyday on the internet, and a great deal of it is not worthwhile or intentional.

I often hear people say they cannot (a misuse of that word) follow-through on the projects they start because of time constraints, but it is really a simple matter of getting rid of the things that waste their time. It’s not about there being a lack of time, it’s a lack of intentionality and purpose. It’s a problem of choosing the path of least resistance and most entertainment.

There are dozens of ways to change how we use our time. There are apps to lock you out of your phone for a given amount of time, and you can cancel Netflix or cable or Hulu (or all three!). We can train ourselves to leave our phones in another room and not open our computers until certain tasks are taken care of. We can establish accountability with other people. It may not be easy, but there is a tremendous feeling of freedom when you make the break from these habits, especially if you re-invest that time into something worthwhile.

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“My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it.” Nietzsche